US President secretly left Turkey aboard a military plane last month after security officials received warnings of a potential Iranian threat.
US President Donald Trump has confirmed that he secretly switched planes while leaving Turkey last month after the US military and Secret Service advised him to use a different aircraft because of security concerns.
Trump made the admission on Tuesday after reports emerged that he was secretly moved from the presidential Air Force One to an Air Force C-32A military aircraft following the NATO summit in Ankara on July 8. The operation reportedly used a catering vehicle to conceal his movement from journalists and other officials travelling with him.
He said he followed the advice of the Secret Service and military officials but did not ask for details about the threat.
“I go by the Secret Service and the military. They wanted me to go in a different flight, a different plane. I just have to do what they say,” Trump told reporters.
Trump says threat prompted plane switch
The Washington Post reported that US officials had intelligence pointing to a possible Iranian threat against the president during his departure from Turkey. The report said the president was secretly transferred from the older Air Force One to a smaller C-32A, while the presidential aircraft continued its journey as a decoy.
The operation reportedly began after Trump publicly boarded the older Air Force One in Ankara. He was then moved from the aircraft using an airport catering truck and taken to the C-32A, where he continued to the United Kingdom.
The journalists and some White House officials travelling on the older aircraft were reportedly unaware that Trump was no longer aboard. They were also instructed to keep their window shades closed during the flight.
The president had earlier acknowledged concerns about his safety while travelling from Turkey but did not disclose that he had changed aircraft.
Trump had previously hinted at Iranian danger
During the flight from Turkey, Trump was asked why journalists had been instructed to close their window shades.
“You’re probably on a dangerous flight because of the sleazebags that we have to deal with,” he said.
When asked whether Iran could have been considering an attack, Trump said he faced threats regularly and described himself as “number one on their list”.
The comments came as the United States and Iran remained embroiled in heightened military tensions. Trump has previously said he was a target of Iranian threats following US military action against Tehran.
Air Force One became part of the deception
The secret operation reportedly relied on the older Air Force One serving as a decoy while Trump travelled on the C-32A under a different flight identity.
According to reports, the press and some officials remained aboard the presidential aircraft and believed Trump was travelling with them. The C-32A instead flew separately to RAF Mildenhall in the United Kingdom.
Trump was later seen emerging from the older Air Force One after it arrived in Britain, although it remains unclear how he transferred back to the aircraft. He subsequently boarded the newer Boeing 747-8 aircraft donated by Qatar for his flight to Washington.
Qatari aircraft raises security questions
The episode has also renewed questions about the security capabilities of the Boeing 747-8 aircraft donated by Qatar, which Trump used to travel to Turkey for the NATO summit.
Trump had initially said he would return to the US aboard the older Air Force One rather than the Qatari aircraft. Reports have since indicated that concerns about the newer aircraft’s security capabilities contributed to the decision to use an alternative military aircraft.
The secret operation highlights the extent to which security concerns surrounding the US president have intensified amid the conflict with Iran. It also raises questions about how much information can be withheld from the travelling press when presidential security operations are involved.
